4-H Youth Shine at Heath Fairgrounds
Jul 12, 2018
Young people had a chance to showcase their farming skills at the Franklin County 4-H Fair, which was held Saturday, June 30, at the Heath Fairgrounds. (Recorder 7/6/18)
Extension in Western Massachusetts
About Western Massachusetts
The western region of Massachusetts is composed of Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The largest city in the region is Springfield, located in Hampden County, along the Interstate 91 corridor on the Connecticut River.
UMass Testing Mosquitos for National Science Foundation
Jun 18, 2018
The University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Laboratory of Medical Zoology (LMZ), better known for its national tick-borne disease testing service, has begun mosquito testing with the arrival of 15,000 vials of mosquitoes collected from 47 sites across the continent as part of National Science Foundation’s National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) project, says microbiologist and LMZ director Stephen Rich.
Vegetable Growing Season Set Back By Cold Spell
Apr 24, 2018
The cold, wet weather this month has set the vegetable growing season behind, according to Katie Campbell-Nelson, a vegetable expert with the UMass Extension in Amherst. (NEPR, 4/24/2018)
Growing Massachusetts Farmers (and Others) for 100 Years
Early Seeds Planted in Fertile Soil
“Young Men and Women, Do You Wish to Make the Farm Produce More and Pay Better?”
The 100-year flood: Building ‘RiverSmart’ Communities for Flood Resiliency in the Connecticut River Valley
Feb 15, 2018
Christine Hatch, extension associate professor of geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, comments on planning for the real potential for more powerful and frequent storms due to climate change. "There can be more than one '100-year flood' in a decade," she says. (Gazette 2/14/18)
Check Out This Tag Sale if You Need a Used Mower or Snow Plow
Feb 13, 2018
CAFE’s enterprising interim farm manager, Bob Skalbite, is actively working on a much-needed project at several of the university farms. He is tackling a task that many of us put off, but would benefit from in our own homes: cleaning house and holding a tag sale.
Reports Detail the Health of School Cafeterias, UMass Food Scientist Comments
Feb 5, 2018
According to state law, local health inspectors must inspect school cafeterias at least twice a year. Amanda Kinchla, a food safety expert in food science, says corrective actions are the most important item to note when reviewing inspection reports.(Western Mass News 2/5/18)
Hurricane Irene: It Wasn’t the Wind, it was the Water, UMass Professor Explains
Jan 29, 2018
Christine Hatch, UMass extension associate professor of water resources and climate change, pens editorial about the devastating weather event of August 28, 2011.“Tropical Storm,” Irene’s official designation, doesn’t do justice to what occurred in watersheds along the mid-Atlantic coast, Connecticut River Valley and tributaries: a catastrophic flood. (Gazette 1/26/18)
UMass Chemist Tracy Allen and Staff Analyze Soil Across the U.S.
Dec 18, 2017
Tracy Allen, chemist and supervisor, UMass Soil Laboratory, discusses soil samples the lab tests for and amendment recommendations made across the country. (Gazette 12/15/17)
Developing a New Mosquito Control District in the Pioneer Valley, Stephen Rich Comments
Dec 13, 2017
Rich says the biggest health threat from mosquitoes is the spread of West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, which is very rare but untreatable and often fatal. (Gazette 12/13/17)